Goddess of the Sacred Light: The Angel's Trial
by StarCatTibalt
Summary: A Princess who became a Slave. A Slave who became a Hero. A Hero who became a Angel. A Angel who would fulfill a Destiny. This is the story of how a despised and disgraced fallen princess begun an epic journey of redemption and enlightenment, discovered a forgotten religion, embraced a divine power, and would lead a crusade to destroy evil. This story is ON HOLD. Read ANNOUNCEMENT.
1. Prelude

**Author's Note**

**Important! Please read. I would like to recommend to readers to please this prologue _and_ the first chapter before commenting for there will be a post chapter author's note explaining exactly why I chose to write this story. Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

The storm had come out of nowhere. Just minutes ago it had been a pleasant growing evening at sea, now it was a raging nightmare. And for the second time, Malty S Melromarc was scared for her life.

The first time had not been too long ago, for it was during her supposed execution. When she realized she was really going to die, she had pleaded for her life. She first had tried asking the Spear Hero for help, believing that his loyalty and devotion to her would save her, but he had only turned away. He had finally seen through her lies and wanted nothing more to do with her. Desperate, more than she had ever been in her life, she had turned to the Shield Hero, the very man she despised and had set out to destroy, and begged him to let her live.

To her surprise he did, but he did so in the most humiliating manner. Having already been stripped of her title as the First Princess of Melromarc, the Shield Hero took away her name and replaced with the word _Bitch_, along with her adventurers name being turned from Myne Sophia to _Slut_. What was worse was that her mother-_damn her to Hell!_-the Queen of Melromarc had approved of the Shield Hero's proposal and declared that she would be addressed as such from now on and she would forever be a slave until she paid her debt. On top of that, the _slave crest_ that had been placed on her during her trial was to remain as assurance that she would remain obedient.

_The nerve! The arrogance! How dare they treat her in such a way!_

She may no longer be a princess, but she still had her pride! People may call her bitch and slut from now but she would never call herself that, let alone accept it. Her pride simply wouldn't allow it! One day she would take back what was hers and she will have her revenge against the Shield Hero, her mother, and everyone else who was foolish enough to insult her. Right now, however, that was the least of her worries. Since she had not been executed her mother had instead decided to send her to the Kingdom of Faubley. To be _reeducated, _as her mother described it. But now the ship she was on was in serious trouble.

The storm had come so suddenly that the crew had not reacted quickly enough to batten down the hatches and reel in the sails. It was chaos everywhere. Crew, passengers, and adventures were running around screaming in panic. The ship was knocked back and forth by the big waves crashing against its hull, the sails were beginning to tear and flapping like white flags, and the loose ropes from the rigging from lashed around in the air like whips.

Malty was holding on against the stairs of the quarterdeck on the starboard side. Night had already fallen and it was black everywhere. Lightning flashed close enough to illuminate the entire ship and what she saw horrified her. In that brief moment she saw what she believed to be hell. Figures running around flailing and screaming helplessly. What was worse was that many of those figures seemed to be reaching for her, their faces pale and their eyes being black sockets.

Terror seized her heart. It was as if Hell itself was trying to drag her into the depths below, to punish for all the sins she committed.

Lightning struck again, but this time the bolt struck the top of the main mast, setting it on fire. Even through the howling wind people screamed in terror. Malty herself looked up at the flames that were quickly spreading despite the heavy sheet of rain that was falling. She began shaking, not from the cold or the fact that she was soaked to the skin. She was shaking with fear; the Devil was after her. He been cheated of taking her soul when the Shield Hero stopped her execution. In revenge he brought the storm down upon them, and he had now unleashed the fires of Hell.

She needed to run! Escape! But where was there to go? What choice should she make? To drown in the black abyss or be burned to death?

As she pondered someone grabbed her right shoulder and before she could see to what who had been foolish enough to touch her she suddenly felt something cold and sharp pierce her side, followed by searing pain. She gasped as she realized that she had been stabbed. _Stabbed!_ This had never happened before! True, she had been stabbed twice by the Shield Hero's demi-human slut Raphtalia, but that had been a magic sword that had only taken away her magic abilities. This time, however, she was actually _bleeding_.

She looked up to see who her attacker was. The flames above had illuminated the ship just enough for her to get a glimpse. A young sailor, eyes filled with rage and murderous intent.

Despite the howling winds, she heard him say, "_For my father!_"

He withdrew the blade of his sailor's knife and raised it to stab her again. With a sneer she shoved him away, but before she could anything else a giant wave suddenly came over the port side of the ship and swept across the deck. Having moved from her position of the stairs onto the open deck in an effort to get away from her attacker Malty was immediately caught up by the wave and she was flung overboard.

It happened so quickly she didn't even realize she was underwater until she drank a mouthful of disgusting seawater. Luckily she knew how to swim. On that thought she immediately kicked to the surface. It seemed to take forever before her head finally emerged.

Now in a panic she looked around. The burning ship was no more than ten yards away from her and she could see others jumping overboard to escape the inferno. She tried calling out for help but the fierce winds drowned out her voice. Then the pain at her side finally registered. She was bleeding and she would soon lose consciousness.

Thanks to glow of the flames she saw a heavy wooden plank to her left and quickly swam toward it. Once she did she took a firm grip and lifted the upper portion of her body onto it. The plank was her only chance for survival, _and __she would survive by the Gods!_ She would find out who it was that stabbed her and-

The sudden sharp crack and the splintering of wood brought her head up, just in time to see the main mast come down, _straight towards her!_

She only had time to scream before the top of the mast came crashing down and her world went black.

* * *

**The Four Cardinal Heroes had** been summoned by Queen Mirellia. The aftermath of the last Wave had brought about a tremendous effect on the way they were handled and the Queen wanted to discuss with the heroes new strategies in order to counter the Waves more effectively. However, the Shield Hero was paying only half a mind to the discussion.

It seemed only yesterday that Naofumi and the other heroes sat in this very chamber beneath the castle, away from the eyes of the always scheming nobles. The Queen had caused quite a stir when she took over the throne after having the king and her oldest daughter arrested, stripped of their titles, and tried for their treacherous acts against the Shield Hero. Then they were sentenced to death, but Naofumi had stopped it when the former Princess Malty, the woman who had caused so much trouble, begged him to spare. He had, and he had given her two new names for her to live by as her punishment.

Even to this day, the memory of that event was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't understand why it bothered him so much. The look on that woman's face when she begged for her life haunted him. Her plead had been genuine, even if it was pathetic. The entire trial had revealed how much of a coward she was. She had framed the Shield Hero for a raping her, tried to kill her younger sister in an attempt to frame him for it, and had gotten in his way more times than he cared to count. She had made his life a living hell. She had rightly deserved the punishment he gave her.

_And yet_... despite all the horrible things she did to him and so many others, despite all the rightful anger and resentment he had towards her, despite all the times he'd wished she was dead, Naofumi still felt pity for the former First Princess of Melromarc.

It was a small yet significant part of him that felt that way, and his still couldn't out figure why. Perhaps it was because that woman did him a favor when she revealed how a woman can easily manipulate a man through her charms. He was very naive when he first came to this world, even with his little knowledge of women. So in strange way, Bitch had taught to be more cautious when it came to attractive women, especially when they were from the higher class.

And that woman was indeed very attractive. Naofumi would be lying if he didn't find her beautiful especially when they first met. Perhaps that was the real reason why he felt a small amount of pity towards her. In was such a shame that an attractive, intelligent, and cunning young woman went down the wrong path of life when she could have been as strong as her mother. In fact it felt more like a waste. While her younger sister Melty was indeed the polar opposite, Naofumi sometimes wondered if Melty was capable of being a queen when compared to the knowledge her older sister had. Granted, that woman had used her knowledge for all the wrong reasons, but it was the kind of knowledge Naofumi could never hope to match no matter how long he'd stay in this world.

Well, he will never know now, for Queen Mirellia had sent her oldest away to the Kingdom of Faubley. Naofumi had only heard rumors about the king of that country... and _none_ of them were pleasant. He felt himself shuddering a little despite himself. He couldn't help but wonder if the Queen had purposely sent her oldest daughter to an even crueler fate. While Bitch may have rightly deserved it for everything she had done, even the Shield Hero felt that that was too cruel a fate even for her.

The sudden sound of the chamber door opening and closing upstairs followed by the hurried footsteps of a soldier descending the stairs caught his attention, as did the rest. The Queen stopped speaking and turned in her chair. Her younger daughter Melty was also at her side. The soldier reached the floor and made his way to the Queen.

"Forgive the sudden interruption, you Majesty," he bowed, "But we just received an urgent message from one of our ports in the south."

"Proceed, Lieutenant," the Queen waved her hand.

"A hurricane had struck the waters of that area just the night before," the lieutenant went on to report, "One of ships came across wreckage belonging to the _Helen Lou_."

The Queen's face suddenly went pale. Princess Melty, seeing this, rushed to her side.

"What's wrong, Mother."

Naofumi and the other Heroes watched as Queen Mirellia took a deep breath, turned to her daughter and said, "_Your sister was on that ship_."

Stunned silence engulfed the chamber at this sudden revelation. From the corner of his eye Naofumi saw the Spear Hero stiffen. Despite being shown Bitch's true nature, the Spear Hero still held some sort of loyalty to that woman.

"Have they found any survivors?" asked the Queen.

"A few, Your Majesty," said the lieutenant, "but unfortunately we have not yet found anyone matching the description of the former First Princess. Some of the survivors did say they saw her aboard the ship, but they do not if she'd survived of went down with it."

The Queen took another breath, "Very well... keep me updating as the search continues. Inform the ship captains that if they need any additional aid I will see that it provided."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the soldier bowed and quickly left the room.

The Queen turned back around and sat heavily in her chair. Princess Melty took her hand and held it tightly in hers. Naofumi understood how they felt. Despite all the evil things that woman had done, she was still family. Their reactions were only natural.

Naofumi then felt a glare directed at him. He didn't have to guess who it was, but when he turned to look he found the Spear Hero glaring at him. Not in hostile manner, but still in a very angry.

"I hope you're happy now,_ Shield Hero,_" he said coldly.

Naofumi said nothing. He simply waited for the meeting to end so he, Raphtalia, and Filo could go adventuring again and not think the turmoil that was going through his mind.

* * *

**Far away in a hidden** part of the world, atop the tallest mountain, inside a temple that was the only remaining evidence of a forgotten religion, a young woman suddenly awoke with a start just at the crack of dawn. Sweat poured down her body as she breathed heavily. She had just experienced something that she had never experienced before and her heart began to pound as her excitement grew. Without second thought she threw back the covers, put on her white robe, and sprinted out the door. She paid no mind to those she awoke as she left the dormitory, and she ignored the nuns and priests who stared and frowned at her as she ran across the courtyard to the Reverend Mother's chambers. What she had just seen was more important than those around her.

She didn't stop running until she was at the Reverend Mother's door. From there she pounded desperately until she heard the older say come, "Come!" in a very agitated voice. The young was inside the chamber in a mere second. The Reverend Mother appeared to have been almost finished dressing when she arrived. She looked at the girl with a scowl on her face.

"What in the name of Heaven has got you all excited, Child?" she asked.

Shutting the heavy door, the young woman stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Reverend Mother... I have had a dream... a vision... a _message_ from the Goddess."

The Reverend Mother raised her eyebrows but her scowl remained. Then she shook her head and said, "Child... you have already failed-"

"No, no, Reverend Mother!" the young woman rapidly shook her head, "It wasn't about me. But rather... she was telling me, to inform everyone, to expect someone... someone who will arrive here after a long journey to lead the _Divine Crusade._"

This time the Reverend Mother's eyebrows shot up even further and her scowl vanished from her face as she gaped. She turned away and the young woman could almost see what was going on in the older woman's mind. This had never happened before. Then the Reverend Mother went to her desk and waved the young woman towards the chair across from her.

"Sit down, Child, and tell me _exactly_ what you saw. _Down_ to the last detail."


	2. The Revelation Chapter 1

**Part I**

**The Revelation**

A reading from a letter of St. Julia

_On the second day of spring Lady Constance entered the Church of the Goddess. She was in grief and despair for her son had died in battle. His body had been cut to pieces and his head had been sent back his parents intended as an insult to them and their religion. While her husband, Lord Gabriel, sat alone in his son's empty chamber, the Lady Constance and knelt before the statue of the Goddess and began to pray._

_"Your Grace, our enemies have delivered a devastating blow on us. I have lost my son. The only thing we have to bury is his head. His eyes will never open again, his smile will never seen again, and his laugh will never be heard again. Please, answer me, Your Grace! Is there no end to this? How many more lives must be lost? How many more families must be destroyed? How can we have peace when countless wars and warriors ravage the land? Is there no hope at all? Please, You Grace! I must have an answer. Your people need an answer!"_

_The Goddess answered her and said, "I know too well your pain and grief, my child. I have received the souls of many brave soldiers who have died in my name. It grieves me as much as it grieves you. While the shedding of mortal blood is indeed tragic, peace cannot be attained without sacrifice. But bring hope back into your heart my child, for the child you carry will bring about the destruction of the evil that plagues this land and will bring the peace my people have seek for so long."_

The Word of the Goddess. **Blessed by your wisdom, Your Grace**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Father Adam! _Father Adam!_ Come quick! _Come Quick_!"

Father Adam looked up from his garden and lifted the brim of his straw hat to see a seven-year demi-human boy running towards his church, arms waving. He grinned and stood up.

The hurricane that hit the ocean yesterday well into its last stages. While the sun was out, warm and bright, there were still heavy clouds in the distance and the wind was still fairly strong. Luckily only the tail end of the hurricane had hit Heartland Cove, making the storm significantly less worse than it had been out in the ocean.

Still… Father Adam looked down in disgust. The storm had done considerable damage to his garden.

"Father Adam! _Father Adam!_"

With a small sigh, the priest turned away and stepped outside the white painted fence.

"I'm here, Chett!" he waved.

The demi-human boy saw him and made straight for him.

"You must come! _Come quickly!_" he said excitedly, "There's been a wreck somewhere and we found a girl on the beach! Wally and Brandon are with her now and they think she's still alive!

The smile faded from Father Adam's face. Shipwrecks often happened in this area, but this was the first time that a body managed to reach the beaches of Heartland Cove.

"Yes, of course. Wait one moment," taking off his hat, he inside the pantry of his church and retrieved his medical bag. When he walked back out, he saw his younger nephew Edward standing there, a cord of wood under his arm.

"Did I hear right?" he asked, "A wreck?"

Father Adam nodded as he slung the bag over his shoulder, "Apparently there's a survivor, a girl. Wally sent Chett back here to inform me. Can you hitch up the cart and head to the beach?"

"Certainly. Go on, I'll be right behind you."

"Thank you," making sure his bag was firmly at his side, Father Adam waved to Chett, "Lead the way!"

Hiking up the hem of his black robe, Father Adam ran behind Chett, his longer legs making him able to keep up with the boy. They went over a hill and through a small gathering of trees. Then they reached the top of the cove overlooking the beach below.

"They're right there!" Chett pointed.

Father Adam looked down to see Brandon, the second oldest boy, waving at them. Wally was kneeling beside a body of the said survivor. The priest took a quick look around to make sure there were no other bodies. Aside from a few pieces of wreckage, there were none.

"Let's go!" grabbing the boy's arm Father Adam and Chett made their way down to the beach, Then they ran the rest of the way. As soon they were up close, Father noticed that the survivor was not a girl, but a grown young woman with crimson red hair.

"She was at the edge of the water when we found her," said Wally, a fifteen year-old human boy, "The tide was starting to rise so we pulled her further up the beach so she wouldn't get taken away by the waves."

Smiling, Father Adam reached over patted the boy's shoulder, "Good thinking Wally."

Kneeling beside the figure, he began examining the body. The first thing he noticed was that the woman appeared to be wearing a rather fanciful outfit. Her shoulders were bare except for a white and gold cape that split down the middle, giving the image of butterfly wings if the tails weren't completely soaked and possibly damaged. She also wore armor on her arms, chest, calves, and on the right side of her hip. Both the clothes and armor looked well made and expensive.

_Was she a knight?_

"We think she's an adventure," said Brandon, a cat like demi-human with reddish gold hair, "She's wearing a short sword here."

Father Adam leaned over to where Brandon was pointing and saw the hilt of a short sword that was partially trapped under the woman's left thigh. So she was actually an actually an adventurer? That would explain the armor. It was a miracle that she didn't sink straight to the bottom when she fell into the ocean.

"She's also bleeding," said Wally, "Over here, see?"

Father Adam shifted his position he could get a better look. The chest armor was held by fabric similar to a lady's corset. Just behind the armor on the woman's left side was a gaping wound. A stab wound. From a knife. He frowned, was this woman in a fight before she fell overboard? He looked at the short sword again and saw that it was still in its sheath. No, if she had been in a fight, the blade would have gone missing the moment she hit the water. This woman was most likely attacked, possibly ambushed.

"Very strange," he whispered.

He wasn't very convinced that the woman was still alive. The knife wound was not deep, but depending on the time the woman had been stabbed to time she'd reached the shore after falling overboard she could have already bled to death. The pale pinkish liquid coming out from the wound could very well be seawater mixed with blood, but his wasn't ready to tell the boys that yet, for there were other ways to check.

"Help me turn her over," he ordered.

He grabbed the young woman's right shoulder while Wally and Brandon took hold of her right armored arm. Together they pull and rolled her over onto her back. Her head rolled in the same direction. Father Adam began checking for a pulse. Since her wrist was covered in armor the only other option he had was her throat. Placing his fingers there he waited, but he felt no pulse of any kind. He then lifted his gaze to the woman's face, hidden by her wet and sand covered red hair. With a gentle hand he brushed back the locks-

His brows shot up and he heard the boys go, "Oooooh."

"Wow, she's _very_ pretty," Chett stated, eyes wide.

Father Adam gave a silent nod. The woman's face was indeed very lovely, her features were sculpted in the very essence of perfection. It was rare to see a woman as beautiful as her here in Heartland Cove. He began to wonder if she actually a nobleman's daughter, possibly from Melromarc or Faubley.

He suddenly grimaced. If she was from either of those countries, that could mean... quashing the thought, he pinched the woman's nose and placed his ear a mere whisker away from the woman's lips. A few intense seconds ticks by before he finally felt the faintest brush of air. He waited a few more seconds for another breath of exaltation before he straightened and announced, "She's alive."

Chett whooped while the others grinned. Father Adam didn't.

A feeling of uncertainty began to form in his mind. _Who_ exactly was this woman and _where_ exactly did she come from?

As he pondered he heard the distinct sounds of moving wheels. He stood up and turned to see Miguel coming up with the horse drawn cart.

"Come," he said to the boys, "Let's get her inside the manor house."

* * *

**"Set her down on the bed,"** Father Adam told his nephew, who carried the the mysterious young woman inside the two story farm house with his strong arms and up the stairs. He gently placed her down on the large and straightened out her body.

"Now to get her out of those wet clothes and to thaw her out," Father Adam said next.

"I'll start bringing up the bricks," Edward turned to go out the door.

As he did Johanna, Edward's wife who was two months pregnant, came in carrying large wash bowl of hot soap water. Behind her was Muriel, a middle-aged robust woman who served as the housekeeper along with watching over Father Adams's Church, carrying a bundle of dry clothes and bandages in left arm while her right hand carried a bucket of additional hot water.

"Good morning, Father Adam," she greeted in a jolly voice before looking at the figure on the bed, "Is this our cast away?"

"She is. She's barely alive but I believe she'll live. Let's get her cleaned up and warmed up before I heal her. Johanna, go ahead and start washing away the sand and wiping her down while Muriel takes her off her clothes and armor."

"Yes, Father Adam," Johanna said softly.

"This is some really expensive stuff here," Muriel looked over the young woman's gear, "She must have been a really successful adventurer to afford all this. I never got anywhere close to obtaining anything like this in my day. Then again, it's too flashy for my tastes."

Father Adam grinned. Muriel had once been an adventurer herself until recently, so she was an expert in these things.

Johanna gently lifted the woman's head and placed it inside the wash bowl. Once the red hair had spread out like a fan, she began washing away all the sand and mud. Muriel meanwhile immediately got to work on removing the armor from the woman's arms and legs, along with the leather boots and gauntlets, and handing them to Father Adam to be placed on the table. Then she waited until Johanna finished washing the woman's hair.

"She has such pretty hair," said Johanna.

"I know," Muriel agreed as she lifted the woman's head so Johanna could remove the washing bowl, "I never seen hair as red or as silky as that. It honestly makes me jealous."

She placed the woman's head down on the thick pillows, but when she removed her fingers she noticed something odd.

"Hey, there's blood," she placed her hand behind the woman's head again and felt around the skull, "Oh, my God! That's a _huge_ contusion! And the skin's broken."

"She was hit in the head?" Father Adam leaned over to look.

"Yeah, and it was a _really_ hard hit," Muriel shook her head in disbelief, "I'm amazed she's still alive. Anyone else would have _died_ from a blow like that."

"Let's get her bandaged up then," said Father Adam.

Reaching for his medical bag Father Adam took out some healing salves. Using the hot water from the bucket he and Muriel gently cleaned, dried, and treated the head wound. Then Johanna handed him a bandage role and with Muriel holding up the woman's head and with expert fingers he gently wrapped it around. Once they settled the head back down the priest gently turned the body over to its left side so Muriel could undo the laces that secured the woman's chest armor and the remains of her clothes.

With the woman now completely naked Father Adam politely turned away. Johanna proceeded to clean the rest of the body while Father and Muriel looked over the woman's gear to see if it was salvageable. The armor was fine, but the clothes were all but ruined. At that moment Edward returned with the first of the hot bricks when Johanna suddenly gasped in horror.

Alarmed, they turned to see Johanna on her feet, backing away while clutching the wet towel to her breast as though she seen a horrifying creature rise up from the woman's body.

"What is it?" said Father Adam, "What's wrong?"

Face pale, Johanna pointed a shaking finger to the unconscious woman, "Look there, on her chest!"

Looking at the body, Father Adam and the others stepped closer to see what had horrified Edward's wife.

"My God!" Muriel gasped, "Is that..."

"_A slave crest_?" said Edward.

Father Adam looked closer. Above the woman's full breasts was a distinctive tattoo. The design was unmistakable. He had seen it too many time before to not recognize it.

"_It is_," he answered.

He sensed Edward move over to comfort his wife. Father Adam didn't have to guess what it was that frightened her. Johanna had once been a slave herself until Muriel freed her, brought her to this island, and Father Adam has removed the crest. She knew all too well the kind of pain slave crests inflicted on the wearer. The abuse she had gone through had made her terrified of the very image.

"So this woman is a slave?" Muriel looked over at the gear, "She's wearing some really fanciful stuff for one," on that thought she leaned closer to the priest and whispered," You don't think she's from Faubley, do you? I mean, you don't think she's... one of _those_ women?

Father Adam didn't answer, but he knew what Muriel meant. In the Kingdom of Faubley there were women who willingly served as slaves to some of most the powerful Lords in the country. They delighted in taking pain for pleasure. Some were actually married to these very Lords and a few even commanded troops.

"If she is, we'll send her on her way once she recovers," he said, "But regardless, I'll be removing that slave crest. Give me a towel so I can finish wiping her off. Johanna, if you want to step outside, do so. This won't take long."

Johanna nodded and stepped out. As she did, they heard the sound of children's voices entering the house down below.

"Keep those children away," Father Adam hissed, "I don't want them coming up here."

"Right," Edward quickly went back downstairs and intercepted the children.

"_Is she awake yet_?"

"_Can we see her_?"

"Not yet, children," they heard Edward say, "Father Adam is with her at the moment and she's still asleep. You'll see later on her when she wakes up."

"Muriel, shut the door and lock it," Father Adam ordered the housekeeper.

After the door was shut and locked, they finished cleaning the woman's body. Then Muriel stepped back as Father Adam closed his eyes placed his hands together to begin the incantation of a spell. Soon his hands began to glow with light and he placed them over the woman's chest.

"_Remove this crest that bounds this body._"

The light transferred over to the slave crest, where it began to glow before slowly fading away. Lowering his hands, the priest opened his eyes and looked down. The slave crest was no longer there, only fair skin. Seeing that he was using magic now, he went ahead and healed the knife wound. Once finished he gave Muriel a nod, who in turn unlocked the door and opened it.

"You can come back in now, Johanna," she said with a warm smile, "It's gone."

The pregnant woman appeared, still clutching her chest as she tried to breath steadily.

"Thank goodness," she exhaled, "I'm sorry for acting like that, but I can't stand the sight of those things."

"It's alright, Johanna," Father Adam went over and hugged her, "There's no need to apologize," he gestured to the bed, "Why don't you and Muriel get her comfortable while I help Edward bring up the rest of the bricks?"

Johanna nodded and went back to the bed. Father Adam went downstairs and found that Edward had already shooed away the children.

"By the way, Uncle," Edward gestured outside, "People are starting the gather at the church."

Father Adam followed his gaze and uttered a silent curse. The arrival of the mysterious survivor has caused him to forget about his Morning Mass.

"Let's get these bricks up," he said, "Muriel can stay and watch over her."

Back upstairs they placed the hot bricks under the covers of the naked woman. Once Father Adam explained the situation, Muriel nodded and said, "I'll do that. You three go on ahead and begin Mass. I doubt she'll be waking up anytime soon."

"Thank you," Father Adam turned and went back out.

"Muriel," Johanna gestured down below, "There's some chicken broth cooking in the pot downstairs. Go ahead and place some in a cup. If she wakes up while we're at Mass give her a few sips and then have her rest some more."

"Will do," Muriel saluted.

* * *

**A few miles away from the** church and manor house was the small port town of Heartland Cove. Shortly after noon a fishing boat returned from the sea, carrying not the catch of the day but two young adults who had survived the hurricane. One was a sailor while the other was an adventurer.

They had spoken to each other aboard the ship they had been on and discovered that shared one thing in common. Both of their families had been destroyed by the actions of Princess Malty of Melromarc. For the sailor, before he took to the seas he had lived with his father near the coast. When Princess Malty had arrived at their home she demanded they pay their taxes, which she had increased to a ridiculous amount. When his father couldn't pay, she had him arrested and imprisoned while the son was sent to become a slave. Fortunately for him, he escaped and jumped aboard the first merchant ship he came across. He later learned that his father had died in prison through sickness and had been denied treatment because he had been branded a traitor. The sailor made a vow that day to avenge his father.

As for the adventure, an attractive young woman who was a mage, had a more personal reason to hate Princess Malty. A few years ago she was the youngest member of a party of adventures. Princess Malty, under her adventure alias Myne Sophia, had approached their party with a request to accompany her in her quest to retrieve a special magic sword deep inside a cave infested with monsters. The award she offered was too much for them to refuse and they eagerly agreed. During the journey the young mage became close friends with Myne. She even considered her an older consider. They had entered the cave and had found the sword with little trouble and resistance, but when Myne drew the sword, their was a deep rumble and the party suddenly found themselves surrounded and outnumbered by monsters well beyond their capabilities.

Now fighting for their lives, the young mage had expected Myne to fight with them protect her. Instead she saw the red haired woman making her escape with the sword in her hands, laughing as she went. By the time the she realized what had happened, it was already too late and the party were trapped. One by one she watched her fellow party members die through horrible deaths before she herself suffered.

_And yet... somehow... she survived._

She had awoken among the dead bodies of her fellow adventures. She had been beaten, abused, and violated. By some miracle she managed to crawl all the way to the surface, where she was found by another group of adventures who treated her wounds. However, they couldn't heal the deep emotional scars or the pain she had endured, and they was no way they could dampened the tremendous amount of anger and hatred the young mage had toward the woman who had left her and her party to die. She swore to find that woman and avenge her friends.

Some time ago, the two had separately seen Princess Malty's trial followed by her intended execution. It had been a glorious sight to them, seeing that woman being inflicted pain through the slave every time she said a lie. However, they were both extremely upset when the Shield Hero her live instead of letting her be executed. To them, that was unacceptable. As long as that woman lived, they loved ones would never find peace.

When they met aboard _Helen Lou_, they had been utterly shocked when the former princess herself came aboard later on. Fate had given them the perfect opportunity. Together they hatched a plan to kill her in her and toss her body overboard. Since no one who knew her on the ship liked, no one would miss her or even report the incident. Then came the hurricane and that plan was immediately dashed, but the sailor had managed to stab the evil bitch with his sailor's knife before he and the mage saw her being taken by the sea. Afterwards the captain ordered to abandon ship and together they survived through the night. When morning came, they celebrated on their makeshift raft until the fishing boat arrived.

By morning, when they reached the town of Heartland Cove, they would begin their new lives. Their loved ones had been avenged and the bitch was dead.

* * *

Father Adam apologized for the delay in the mass by explaining to his attendants about the mysterious survivor and asked them join him in prayer for her to make a quick recovery. Afterwards, the mass had gone as usual without any interruptions. When the mass had ended and he, Edward, Johanna, and the children had finished cleaning the church they went straight back to the manor house.

Muriel revealed to them that during mass the stranger had stirred a bit from her slumber but hadn't opened her eyes. She had given her some of the broth Johanna had made and after a few sips the woman had gone right back to sleep. Johanna then took Muriel's place in watching over the sleeping woman Muriel and Edward took the woman's armor and short sword downstairs to be cleaned and polished.

Later, as the sun went down and evening came, Muriel came back up and relieved Johanna so she could prepare dinner. Father Adam and Edward sat at the big dinner table playing with with the children when they suddenly heard a loud moan from above. Pausing, they looked up in silence. Then came another moan, followed by the sound of running footsteps. An instant later Muriel appeared, alarm on her face.

"Come quickly!" she waved to Father Adam, "I think she's having a nightmare!"

* * *

She huddled in the darkness like a small child cowering in fear. Her hands covered her ears and her body trembled, but no matter hard she pressed she could still hear the same words being repeated over and over again, growing louder and louder each time.

"_Liar!_"

"_Traitor_!"

"_Murderer!_"

"_Bitch!_"

"_Slut!_"

"Stop it!" she cried and begged, "Please! Leave me alone!"

But the taunts and insults continued, then there was a woman's voice.

"_You deserve to die._"

On a gasp her eyes and she looked up. Before her were several figures. Every one of them looked at her with contempt and soulless white eyes. In turn, they spoke.

"_You tried to have me overthrown for selfish reasons,_" said an older woman with a royal crown on her head, "_You deserve to die_."

"_You lied to me about everything and used me as a puppet_," said a tall blonde man dressed in red holding a spear, "_You deserve to die_."

"_You tried to me have me killed so you could take the thrown for yourself_," said a girl was the spitting image of the woman with the crown, "_You deserve to die_."

"_You were always mean to Master and you tried to take him away_," said a little girl with wings, "_You deserve to die._"

"_You discriminated, enslaved, and murdered my people for years_," said a young woman with animal ears on her head, "_You deserve to die._"

Finally, a man in a green cape and a shield on his arm said, "_You accused me of a crime I did not commit and you made my life a living hell. You deserve to die_."

"No!" she screamed, "I didn't do any of those things! I am innocent I tell you!"

Suddenly she felt a hot searing pain in her chest, as if someone had taken a hot poker and was trying to stab through her heart with it.

"Please, I am innocent!"

When the pain finally went away she looked up the again. The figure had disappeared, but the man with the shield remained. A chill went down her spine as he rubbed his chin and he gave her a mischievous grin.

"_But death is too good for you!_" he declared, "_I have a better idea. Before you die, you suffer will as I have suffered!_"

She suddenly felt very cold, as if it she was in the middle of winter. When she looked down she screamed. She was completely naked. Then she felt a menacing presence behind her. Slowly she turned and looked up to see a giant pot bellied man, wearing only a leather loincloth and boots. He also wore a leather helm that covered the top of his big head. He gave her an evil grin and in his hand he raised... _a barbed whip_.

"No! No! Please! Don't!"

She pulled her knees up and made herself into a ball, waiting for the the whip to tear through her flesh. But then she heard another voice. This time softer. This time gentler.

"_Calm down, child. I am here. You're safe now_."

She felt a warm glow on her back, and she became aware of the silence. Slowly she opened her eyes again as the warmth grew warmer. She raised her head and saw the man with the whip being turned to ash before floating away.

She looked around. There were no more figures, no more voices. Peace had finally come. Feeling that she truly was safe she turned around and saw...

* * *

"_Light... I see... light._"

The woman's head rolled her side and she was still.

Having held her hand during her nightmare, Father Adam placed a hand on her throat... and let out a sigh when he felt a pulse.

"She's gone back to sleep," he said.

"Thank goodness," Muriel began to breath again, "What was all that about?"

"I don't know," Father Adam took a cloth and dipped it into the water basin.

"She kept screaming 'I'm innocent!'," Muriel went on, "And she clutched her chest as though she were in pain... That was where the slave crest was! Do you think she was someone who was accused of a crime she didn't commit and was punished for it?"

"Maybe," Father Adam begun wiping the sweat from the woman's brow, "Or maybe she did commit a crime and the slave crest was placed was place on her that would expose her whenever she told a lie."

Muriel shook her head, "Poor girl. Guilty or not, those slave crests should be banned forever!"

"I agree," Father Adam glanced as the locked chamber door, "Why don't you go downstairs and have dinner? I'm sure they're worried. I'll keep watch over her. You can bring me a plate later on."

"Alright, holler if you need me."

After Muriel left, Father Adam continued wiping away until the woman's breathing became steady and she fell into a deep slumber again. With a gentle hand he placed it on her brow again, pushing back loose strands of red hair.

"Who are you child?" he whispered, "And what is your story?"

* * *

The first rays of dawn were beginning to rise when she finally opened her eyes. At first she had no idea where she was, but as her senses returned she found that she was lying in a nice warm bed. Her vision was blurry at first but once it cleared she saw that she was in some kind of room. Then she heard someone softly humming and she turned her head.

She winced when pain shot through her skull. When she moaned, the figure by her side stopped humming. Blinking, she saw that the figure was a young woman who set down her knitting and came to her side.

"You're finally awake!" the woman said with a bright smile, "Good morning! How do you feel?"

"Uh... G-Good morning," she tried to sit up, utterly confused, "Where am I? H-How did I get here? Why-"

"Slow down, slow down," the woman placed a hand on her shoulder, "You've been recovering since yesterday morning. Your body took a good beating the other day based on what I've been told."

"_A beating?_" She allowed the woman to help her sit upright. After she was settled, she placed a hand on the bandage on her head, "Is that was this is for?"

"Yes, among other things. But you're recovering just nicely, so don't rush things. Now stay still while I fetch the doctor."

The woman went to the door, opened it, and called, "_Father Adam_!"

There was sound of footsteps approaching and she saw a figure dressed in black appear at the door.

"She just woke up!" said the young woman.

The priest was in his mid-thirties. He was somewhat tall, had dark hair, bright blue eyes, and a child-like face. But the smile he gave her was a warm one.

"Good morning, my child," he said and held out his hand, "Nice to see you're awake."

"Um..." she shook his hand, "Good morning, Father. I'm sorry, but... I don't know what's going on. Where am I?"

"In a manor house just outside of Heartland Cove," he replied, "Do you know of it?"

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I'm afraid I don't."

"No matter, Heartland Cove is nothing more than your typical fishing town. We rarely get visitors so it's no surprise that you've never heard of it. How does your body feel?"

She shifted uncomfortably, "It aches everywhere, and my head is throbbing like mad."

"I imagine so. You were lucky to have survived after being shipwrecked."

She looked at him, startled, "S_hipwrecked?_"

"These was a nasty hurricane that came through here the other night. You were found on the beach yesterday morning among pieces of a broken ship. Do you remember what ship you were on?"

She thought again, struggling to remember, but she only shook her head again, "I don't remember being on a ship."

The priest looked at her, a dark cloud running over his face. He looked at the young woman, who had also grown concerned, before turning to back to her.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked, "Like your name? Where you come from? Who your parents are?"

"I... I don't know," she heard the panic rising in her voice as she clutched her head, "I can't remember anything," she looked at the priest, suddenly afraid, "_I don't remember anything at all._"

* * *

**Author's**** Note**

Thank for reading the prologue and this first chapter for those of you who actually read it. As promised I will explain to you why I decided to write a story centered on what is arguably the most hated character in anime in recent times.

I felt compelled to write this story for two reasons. The first was when I learned about Malty's ultimate fate in the original web novel. I won't go into detail partly because of spoilers but to keep it simple let's just say Malty dies a both a horrifying and an utterly gruesome, if not disgusting, death. I wish I was making this up but it's true(**and you thought _Overlord_ was messed up**). While I'm sure many would say that she rightly deserves it I for one take no pleasure in that because in my mind that's _way_ too cruel, even for Malty. No person, no matter how bad they are, deserves that kind of fate and that goes for Malty as well.

The second reason I started writing this story is because... well, pretty much _everyone_ is convinced that characters like Malty are beyond redeemable. That just made more determined to prove them wrong through this story. In my mind, there is _always_ a chance for redemption, even if it's not a complete one. The chance is always there as long as they live, yet it is up to them to take it. The greatest heroes, in my mind, are the ones who started out as villains before they became heroes through trial and error. This story will be about Malty's complete fall before she rises up to become a true hero.

So yes, you can say that I have a love/hate relationship with Malty and you're very much correct. While I hate Malty(and no, I'm not going to call her **Bitch** or **Slut**) as much as the next person for the all the things she did, she's also the one character I feel the most sorry for. I don't know why, but I do. You can call me crazy but it's the honest truth. I hope you readers have a better understanding of this in regards on where I stand when it comes to Malty.

A couple more things I want to mention. First, if you haven't noticed by now this story is going to have a strong religious/spiritual theme to it, specifically from a Catholic point of view. While I'm trying to preach religion I feel that this is necessary for Malty's path of redemption, so please try not to take it too seriously as the story goes along.

Secondly, I know some of you are going to be bringing up the fact that in canon Malty carries a shard of Medea, the Goddess of Calamity, which is said to be the reason on why she's so bad. For the sake of this story I'm going to pretend that doesn't exist, or at the very least pretend it's not as significant as it is. I haven't decided yet on whether to use this as plot device later on in the story. In addition, I'm also not a the biggest fan of characters having their fate set for them even before they're born, especially when it comes to villains. To me that just seems like a lazy excuse to have an over-the-top villain that the hero has to defeat. Being destined with something is one thing, but _literally carrying_ the reason is another.

Thank you once again for taking the read this first chapter. I will give further explanations as the story goes along and I will try to update once every week. I look forward to your reviews!


	3. The Revelation Chapter 2

A reading from a letter of Sister Julia

_Lady Constance gave birth to her child, a daughter with golden hair and emerald eyes. But then came a shock when the child glowed with heavenly light, and it was here to all those in that chamber that their prayers had been answered._

_On that thought, Lord Kyle took his daughter into hands and carried her into the great hall of his castle, where all could see the glowing light coming from her little body. As they gaze in awe Lord Kyle spoke._

"_My brothers and sisters, for too long have our children lived in fear, too long had the world had been falling into darkness, too long had evil corrupted the minds, hearts, and souls of those who ruled this world with an iron. The time of the Divine Crusade, prophesied by our priests, would soon begin, and that this child-my daughter!-chosen by Goddess, would lead it! Behold, my Brothers and Sisters, I give you Angelica, Goddess of the Sacred Light!"_

The Word of the Goddess. **Blessed by your protection, Your Grace.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Father Adam looked the young woman closely. He should have suspected that she could have been suffering from amnesia after what she'd been through. He had heard of cases of this happening to people who had been shipwrecked, had even read about it, but this was the first time he'd ever dealt with a case like this.

Pulling up a chair he sat down, took the young woman's hand, and looked straight into her pale emerald green eyes.

"Don't panic," he said in a calm, warm voice, "You took a nasty blow to the head, possibly from a spar that came down when the ship broke apart. You were very fortunate you were able to grab hold of plank before you were knocked out. You had a firm grip on it when we found you. The blow, along with the cold water, has jarred your memories, but they'll come back over time, give a day or two."

"A day or two?" the young woman repeated, "What if I don't remember _at all_?"

"You will," he assured, "I'm absolutely certain. Why don't we introduce ourselves first? I'm Father Adam, Minister at Heartland Cove. My church is right next door. The young woman you see is my sister-in-law Johanna. She's married to my younger nephew."

Johanna smiled and gave a small bow in which the young woman gave a polite nod in return.

"You say you're a priest?" she asked, "Are you also a healer?"

"That too," Father Adam grinned, "and a bit of a doctor. I'm familiar with injuries such as yours."

The young paused for a moment, "You said I was at Heartland Cove? Where is that exactly?"

"It's southwest of the border near Faubley. Are familiar with Faubley by any chance? Or perhaps Melromarc?"

She took another moment to think, "Both are familiar to me. They're two different kingdoms, am I right?"

"Yes," Father Adam paused this, "When we found you had some rather fancy clothes and armor. We believe you might have come from one of those kingdoms."

"Melromarc..." she took that in, her eyes gazing into the distance, "That seems to ring more of a bell. Perhaps I'm from there..." she stopped, eyes widening a little, "My... My... Ah..."

Father Adam raised a eyebrow, "_Mya_? Is that your name? Mya?"

The young woman paused again before saying, "I don't know. It sounds like... something... but I... I'm not sure."

She placed her head in her other hand while Father Adam patted the one he held, "Well, let's go with that for now until you remember more. Tell me, are you hungry?"

Almost as if on cue, her stomach growled loudly. So loudly Father Adam wondered if everyone downstairs heard it.

"Yes," the young woman gave small laugh as a small bit of red colored her cheeks, "I really am hungry."

Grinning, Father Adam turned to Johanna, "Why don't you go on down and help finish preparing breakfast. Send Muriel up while you're at it."

"Yes, Father," Johanna bowed again and left the room.

"Do you think you can stand?" he asked the woman they were now calling Mya.

She stared shifting on the bed before she realized she was naked.

"My apologies," Father Adam explained, "Your body was very cold due to being the water for so long so we had to warm you up. We simply forgot to put you in a nightgown. I'll have Muriel put a dress on you before you come down. You and her are just about the same size so one of her dresses should fit nicely. You're joints are probably stiff so be careful when you stand and try to walk. Muriel's a retired adventurer so she'll how to help you recover."

At that moment Muriel walked in.

"Good morning, Father Adam," she gave Mya a big grin, "Our cast away's finally awake! Hello there, I'm Muriel. Pleased to meet you."

"Uh..." Mya shook the jovial woman's hand, "Same here."

"Get her freshened up and then help her downstairs," Father Adam gave Mya a little salute, "I'll see you shortly."

* * *

A short while later Mya, now dressed in one of Muriel's old gowns and a pair of soft leather shoes, descended the stairs with Muriel helping her. After she was dressed Mya had tried to stand, only sitting back on the bed once before she had stood again and started walking around. Her legs were indeed stiff like the rest of her body and she had almost fallen down at least once, but with Muriel's help she managed to walk a number of laps around the bedroom in order to get circulation back into her legs. Once she was confident enough to manage on her own she went down the stairs with Muriel having one hand on her right elbow and the other on her left shoulder. With her left hand on the rail she descended the stairs one step at a time.

She heard numerous sounds as she drew closer to the first floor. The first was children's voices, a sound that twerk some memory. But when she paused to see if she could remember it faded away quickly. With a little sigh she continued down.

Reaching the last step she looked up to see that the stairs led directly into the massive dining room with the kitchen a little further ahead. A little army had gathered at the table. Father Adam was seated at the head of the table with Johanna seated two chairs from his left. Five children were also gathered at the table, three boys and two girls. Three of the children had strange animal ears on their heads. They were... _half-humans_? She knew who they were but she couldn't remember what exactly they were called.

Father Adam looked up and saw her, "Ah, good. You made it down. Come, sit there next to Johanna. I'm sure you're starving."

"Yes, very," she looked over her shoulder, "I think I can manage from here."

Muriel released her but stay where she was, "I'll follow you to your chair, just in case."

"Okay," Mya limped slightly toward her seat that was on Johanna's left. Her legs loosening up but the stiffness was still there, yet she managed to reach her chair without incident. The children had gone silent as they watched Mya slowly sit down with Muriel's and Johanna's holding her arms.

"Thank you," she said before she looked up at Muriel, "I remember drinking something very warm and tasty while I was asleep. Was that-"

"That was me," Muriel grinned, "It was some chicken broth Johanna made yesterday morning."

Mya turned to the young woman and gave her a bright smile, "It was very delicious. Thank you."

"Oh, don't mention it!" Johanna blushed a little, "I'm happy my soup help revitalize you."

Mya looked down and noticed that the woman's stomach bulged a little, "Are you expecting?" she gestured.

"Our first," Johanna replied happily as she rubbed her stomach, "In six months or so."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Just then a young man walked in from the kitchen.

"Hello there," he greeted, "I'm Edward, Johanna's husband and Father Adam's nephew. Your name is Mya?"

"At the moment," she sighed again, "I'm afraid I don't remember much, including what my real name is."

"Not to worry," said Muriel, "Give a few days and it will return. Back in my adventuring days almost everyone I was with got clobbered on the head at least once and they didn't remember much afterward. But they always did later on so I say you've got a very good chance."

"Indeed," Edward grinned, "Now what would you like, Mya? Eggs, sausage, ham?"

"Can I have a bit of everything?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Of course!" Edward laughed, "Coming right up!"

He disappeared back into the kitchen while Muriel, satisfied that Mya was comfortable in her chair, went to her place that was on Father Adam's right. Mya unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap.

"Don't you remember your name?"

The question, said in loud and childish voice, drew her gaze to her left and down. Seated there was a small girl with white hair, clear blue eyes, cat ears on her head, and a thick bushy white tail. She looked up at Mya with a face filled with innocent wonder.

She gave a soft smile and said, "Not at the moment, little one."

Again she tried to remember what the little girl with cat ears was called before she turned to Father Adam and asked, "Forgive me but... what exactly is she again? The word is right at the tip of my tongue but..."

"She's a _demi_-human," the Priest replied without pause.

"That's it! Thank you," Mya looked at the other children gathered around the table, "Are all these children yours, Father Adam?"

"In a way, yes. They're actually orphans."

"Ah, that explains it."

"Let me introduce you to them," Father pointed to the three boys across the table first, "The oldest boy you see there is Wally. His father was a fisherman who was sadly lost in a storm five years ago. No one knows who his mother is. Beside him are the two demi-human boys Brandon and Chett. Both of them escaped from slavery. The boys are the ones who found you on the beach yesterday morning."

"Thank you," Mya nodded to the boys, "I'm very grateful."

"The human girl there," Father Adam shifted his attention to the two girls seated on Mya's said, pointing to the older one, "is Jennifer, or Jenny. She's the first one I took in. Shortly after my church was established Jenny was left at my doorstep when she was a baby. I've been raising her since then."

"Which I'm very grateful for, Father," smiled the twelve-year old.

The priest returned it and continued, "And that little flower sitting beside you there is Daisy. She's Brandon's little sister."

The little cat-girl beamed up at her.

Mya grinned back, "Pleased to meet you."

Edward returned with several plates of food in his hands. As he started setting them down, a woman with glasses and a few years older than Mya came in.

"Ah, just in time!" she took off her shoulder bag and sat down in the chair beside Muriel. Once she'd settled in, she immediately noticed Mya, "Hello there! You must be the survivor I heard about!"

"This is Miss Beauchamps," Father Adam introduced, "She's one of the children's tutors."

"Welcome to Heartland Cove!" Miss Beauchamps stood and stretched out her hand across the table, "Although I imagine you would have preferred to have arrived in a less painful manner, Miss..."

"Mya," she shook her hand, "although I'm not sure if that's my real name. I'm having trouble remembering right now."

Miss Beauchamps looked at Father Adam, "_Amnesia_?

"I'm afraid so," he replied grimly.

"Ah, tough luck. But don't worry," Miss Beauchamps sat back down, "You're memories will return in no time!"

"Yes, it will," Muriel complied.

"And last but not least, this crazy person here is Muriel Buckland," Father Adam grinned, "As she revealed she was once an adventure, which is how she was to read your wounds so easily. She now serves as the keeper for both this house and my church and she's an occasional blacksmith."

"_Exhausting_ job," Muriel grinned jokingly, "I don't know how I manage to do it."

_"_Because you got nothing better to do," Father Adam stated.

Muriel chuckled before she glanced at Mya, "How does your head feel by the way? Is it still throbbing?"

"Yes, but not as much as before."

"That's good," Muriel nodded approvingly, "It will slowly fade throughout the day."

Once breakfast was served, Father Adam gave a little prayer in thanks before they began to eat. Mya tasted the sausage first and moaned in delight. She couldn't believe how hungry she was. She buttered a piece of toast and continued eating while trying not to rudely scarf down her food and choke. She paid little attention to the conversations around her, but she did notice that Daisy was curiously watching her.

After they were finished eating and Mya had her fill, Muriel asked her, "How do you feel? Do you to rest some more?"

"I am a little tired," Mya admitted, "but I feel much better! I think I would like to walk around a bit more more before resting again."

"I agree," Father Adam set down his napkin stood, "Why don't you come outside and get some fresh air? I find that always helps when you're recovering."

"I'll help you again," Muriel went over to her side.

"Me too!" Daisy bounced in her chair in excitement and grabbed onto Mya's left arm.

Johanna laughed, "Someone's more excited than usual."

"Don't forget about your chores, Daisy," said a stern Father Adam.

"I won't!" Daisy beamed at Mya again, who blushed. This demi-human child was really making her... _feel_ something.

Father Adam left as Muriel and Daisy helped her up. Mya took a few minutes to walk around again before she was strong enough to go outside.

The first thing she saw was a fairly large and simple church that was across the road from the manner house. With Muriel and Daisy at her side she began walking down the the dirt road. On the left side the church was a large garden consisting of a variety of fruits and vegetables while on the right side was a beautiful flower garden. Behind the manor house were several pens and animal houses consisting of pigs, goats, and chickens. Beyond that was a stable with a pair of wagon horses and a makeshift blacksmith foundry. There was also a small cemetery behind the church. Mya went back and forth on the road a few times, each step becoming easier as her legs became less stiffer. When she finished her fourth trip she noticed that Father Adam was speaking with a middle-aged dressed in a authoritative manner.

"Hello," he greeted, "Geoffrey Mars. I'm the mayor of Heartland Cove."

"Mya," she returned, "I'm afraid I don't remember much right now."

"Yes, Father Adam just told me about your condition. I'm sorry to hear about that, but I'd be happy to help in any way I can. If you happen to remember anyone who knows you, get in touch with me and I'll send a message out to them."

"Thank you," Mya game a small smile, "I appreciate it."

The mayor spoke with the priest again while Mya did a couple more laps. By the time she was finished, both Father Adam and the mayor were no longer in sight.

"I think that will do for the day," she said to Muriel and Daisy, "Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome!" Daisy beamed up at her again and Mya felt herself blush again.

"Why don't you go on with you chores?" said Muriel, "I'm sure those goats are starving."

"Okay!" Daisy turned as if to skip away, then she turned back and grabbed onto Mya's hand, "Why don't you come and watch?"

"Daisy," Muriel laughed, "Come on, now. Mya needs her rest-"

"No, it's fine," Mya waved her off, "I can manage a little longer."

She allowed Daisy to tug her along with Muriel following close. Daisy led to her to the pen where the baby goats were stationed.

"We need to feed the babies first," Daisy pointed to a a wooden bin, "Can you lift the hatch?"

Mya smiled and did so, remembering to use her right arm and shoulder since her left side was still healing.

"Be careful of your injuries," Muriel reminded her, "Father Adam would get upset if you hurt yourself more."

Mya nodded. The hatch was fairly heavy, but she managed to lift it up without any trouble. After Daisy gathered enough food, Muriel helped her place it back down. From there, the two women watched as Daisy happily fed the goats, humming a pretty tune as she did. As she watched, Mya felt a strange warmth grow inside her.

At first she thought she was remembering something, but then she realized it was rush of mixed feelings. Sadness, regret, and... _anger?_

_But why?_ Why should she feel angry? It wasn't toward the Daisy, but to herself instead. Why? Did it have to do with her past?

She came out of her thoughts when announced she was finished. After they placed the left over food back inside the bin and locked it, Muriel said firmly, "Alright, go and play with the others Daisy. Mya needs to get some more rest. You can play with her after she wakes up, okay?"

"Okay," a disappointed Daisy looked up at Mya and gave a very enchanting smile, "Come play with when you're better!"

"I... I will," Mya waved as Daisy skipped away. Again, there was that wave of different emotions that she couldn't understand.

"You okay?" Muriel asked as she led a confused Mya back to the manor house.

"Hmm?" Mya looked at her, "Oh... yes. I'm fine," she looked over her shoulder to see Daisy playing with her older brother Brandon, "That Daisy is such a sweet girl."

"Yes, she is," Muriel sighed happily, "That little sprite always manages to put a smile on our faces."

* * *

Mayor Mars returned to town on his horse and headed straight to to the inn. He had a meeting today to discuss the fishing market this season with the locals. Stepping inside he was greeted cheerfully by the clerk.

"Good morning, Mr. Mayor," she said, "You're a little late today."

"I went up to the church and had a chat with Father Adam," he explained.

"Oh, I heard that the children there found a survivor on the beach yesterday."

"Yes, a young woman. A very lovely one too."

"Lovely, you say?"

"Hm-hmm, red hair, green eyes, and a face that would make every woman in this town instantly jealous."

The clerk laughed, "Well, then. I better keep my distance. Do you know who she is?"

"Unfortunately, she's lost her memory. Apparently she suffered a serious head injury. They think she might be an adventurer, but right now she has no idea who she is and is going by a temporary name for the time being."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Is everyone in the meeting room?" the mayor pointed towards the lounge.

"Just about. The remaining fishing boat captains have yet to arrive."

"Very well, tell the kitchen I would like some tea."

"As you wish, Mr. Mayor."

Mayor Mars went to the lounge to join the large party of people gathered while the clerk jogged to the kitchen. Unaware to the mayor, two pairs of eyes followed him as he went. After he had settled down, they looked at each other. They had overheard the entire conversation and had become very curious. And concerned.

"You heard all that?" asked the young man

"I did," replied the young woman, "You don't think it could be who we think it is?"

"I don't know," the young man lowered his voice, "With that wound I gave her before she fell overboard I don't believe there's anyway she could have lived."

"Regardless, we need to see for ourselves before we move on liked we planned," the young woman suddenly clenched her fist, "I can't stand the thought of that... that... _bitch_ still breathing!"

The young man laid his hand on hers, "Keep your head cool. If we go barging into a church trying to kill someone we don't know it will only cause trouble."

"Yes, you're right," the young woman steadied her breathing.

"Let's spend the night here. We'll go up to the church first thing in the morning and see for ourselves."

* * *

Mya spent the next few hours resting, getting up just in time for dinner. Feeling ever better than before, she managed to go down the stairs without any help and had a delicious dinner with the rest. Afterwards she joined the children in card game, a game she discovered she was familiar with. The group sat before the hearth, a warm fire burning. Daisy had perched herself on Mya's lap, a move that had taken Mya by surprise but since Daisy was only a innocent child she made no attempt to remove her.

As the game went on, Mya found herself looking at the children individually. All of them had lost their homes and their parents. They had all gone through a great deal of hardships. Fortunately, all of them had been lucky. They had found a home here in this church, under the guidance of Father Adam and his companions. They were fortunate enough to escape from having to live on the streets like rats or being sold into slavery. In both cases their lives would have been short and they definitely would have died a horrible and lonely death.

"Mya! Pay attention!" there was tug at her sleeve, "Which card do I put down?"

Mya brought herself back to the present and looked down at the cards Daisy held in her tiny hands. She took a moment to scan them before pointing, "That one."

Without hesitation Daisy whipped out the card and placed it on the floor. The others looked, groaned, and threw down their own cards. Daisy looked around before glancing up at Mya, confused.

"Did I win?"

"You did," Mya grinned and .

"And with that, it's time for bed!" announced Father Adam.

The children groaned but the priest would have none of it, "I let you stay up to a generous time. Keeping whining about it and I'll have you go to bed at a sooner than later."

No child protested any further and they all stood.

"Say goodnight to Mya," said Father Adam.

"Goodnight!" they all said.

Daisy came over and gave Mya a hug, "Let's play again!"

"Of course!" Mya returned it.

She waved to the other children and marched up the stairs with Johanna.

"They're very lucky to be here," Mya said Father Adam, "You really are kind to keep them here."

"Yes, well," Father Adam gave a little, "It does get a little trying something to keep them fed and sheltered. Along with having them behave themselves."

They both shared a laugh.

"How's your head doing?" Muriel asked, "Have you remembered anything today?"

"Unfortunately... no," Mya sighed deeply, "Every time something comes up it disappears the moment I try to remember it."

"Shame, but don't worry. It'll all come back in good time. Don't try to force it."

"However..." Mye looked up the stairs, "Whenever I with Daisy I kept feeling something. _Anger._

"Anger?" Father Adam raised a brow, "At who? Daisy?"

"No, not at her. But at... _me,_" Mya sat down on a chair and placed her head in her hands, "I don't understand it either. Did I do something that I shouldn't have?"

Father Adam watched her, questions forming in his mind. He thought of the short sword that was being kept inside Muriel's room and considered bringing it out for Mya to see. He glanced over at Muriel, who seemed to have read his mind for she shook her head.

"_Not yet_," she mouthed.

Father Adam nodded and went over to Mya's side, patting her shoulder, "Why don't you sleep on it? You'll feel better in the morning and you'll might remember more."

Mya agreed and stood up, "Yes, I'll do that. Goodnight, Father Adam, Muriel."

The two of them watched the young woman go up the stairs. When they heard her bedchamber door close, they looked at each other.

"What do you think?" Muriel asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. We'll show her the sword tomorrow and see how it goes from there."

* * *

When Mya woke the next morning she felt like a new born baby. Her body no longer hurt and there was very little throbbing in her head. When Muriel came in to check on her was satisfied enough to remove the bandage from Mya's head. Her knife wound was still acting up but it hardly bothered her. She had woken up early enough to have fresh hot bath that relieved any remaining stiffness from her.

Mya found herself in a very cheerful mood. She chatted with Muriel as she dressed and after she was finished she practically bounced down the stairs like a rabbit. But when she arrived at the dining room she discovered that they had received guests. She saw Father Adam speaking with a boy and a girl in their late teens. One had the look of a sailor while the other was clearly a mage due to her pointed wide brimmed hat. Both of them went silent the moment she appeared.

"Ah, good morning Mya!" Father Adam greeted, "You much better!"

"I feel much better, thank you," Mya smiled and stepped closer. Neither she or the priest noticed that the two guest had gone pale and were staring at her in shock.

"This is Garrett and Emma," Father Adam introduced, "They both also survived the storm the other day. They came up here to see if you were someone they knew."

"Hello," Mya greeted.

Both teenagers were silent before they uttered a greeting in return.

"Do they seem familiar to you?" asked Father Adam.

Mya looked at them both. She couldn't help but notice that the mage was staring at her through fierce eyes. So fierce that it almost caused to take a step back.

"I'm... sorry," she shook her head, "I'm afraid I don't."

"I see," Father Adam turned to the guest, "What about you? Do you recognize her?"

"Um..." the boy called Garrett seemed to struggle with his words, "We... _might_ have seen her in the distance on the ship. It had so many different adventurers aboard so it's impossible to tell for sure."

"Of course," Father Adam noticed the mage called Emma seemed to be trembling, "Is something wrong young lady?"

The mage's eyes never left Mya's and he lips trembled. Mya could feel what felt like rage imitating from Emma's body and some instinct warned her of danger.

"Are you alright?" she asked carefully.

"Y-You..." the mage started breathing heavily, "You really don't remember anything?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't," Mya shook her head again, "As Father Adam might have told you, when I woke up here I had lost my memory after I was hit in the head. I can't remember much right now. If I do remember something about you I'll be sure to let you know."

Emma didn't say anything. She just continued to stare at Mya in disbelief. _In fact, she looked ready to explode_.

"_Myyyyyaaaaa_!"

The sudden noise broke through the tense moment and Mya turned to see the little demi-human girl running towards her with a big smile and arms raised.

"Hello, Daisy!" she held the child up in her arms and smiled, "How are you today?"

"Happy!" Daisy giggled, "And you?"

"Very happy," Mya touched her brow to Daisy's.

"Well... um," Garrett cleared his throat and took Emma's arm, "We should be going."

"Won't you join us for breakfast?" asked Father Adam, "It would be no trouble."

"No," Garrett said automatically. He seemed desperate to leave quickly, "We need to get back right away. Thank you for the offer."

"Very well, but please come again."

"Daisy!" came Brandon's voice, "Stop pestering Mya!"

"Nonsense, she's not bothering me one bit," Mya turned to their departing guests, "I'm sorry I wasn't any help."

"Same here," Garrett gave a stiff salute and all but pulled Emma away with Father Adam and Mya looking after them.

* * *

When they were a good distance away, Garrett finally let out the breath he'd been holding. However, he noticed right away that Emma was still trembling with rage.

"Lost her memory..." her voice rose, "_Lost her memory_! I don't believe that one bit! She obviously lying! Women like her always lie!"

"I don't know," Garrett hesitated, "She seemed pretty sincere to me."

Emma flashed her eyes at him, "You honestly don't believe her, do you?! She's obviously faking it! It's ruse to to prevent suspicion. We need to do something before she does something horrible to those people! Her holding that demi-human child was proof of it. The Bitch would never do that! She _hates_ demi-humans!"

Garrett went silent on that part. The fact that the woman they hated actually held a demi-human child in her arms like a mother had completely shocked them. It was impossible to believe.

"Maybe," he said, "but I've been sailing long enough to know that shipwrecked survivors losing their memory after being in the cold water for so long or being hit in the head is nothing unusual. It's pretty common."

Emma suddenly turned around, "Let's go back. We need to tell them-"

"No!" Garret grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me!" she tried to shake him off.

"Listen to me, damn it!" he yelled, "Did you forget what I told you before? If we go rushing in there it would only cause trouble! I know what you're feeling but you need to calm down! If you let your anger get the better of you you'll end up _just like her_!"

She finally stopped struggling after hearing those words. Her body relaxed and her breathing returned to normal.

"Alright," she breathed, "but what do we do from here?"

"For now let's stay here for a few days and see how things turn out. I'll earn us a little money by working at the docks. If she remembers we'll confront her then."

"And if she doesn't?"

"She will. She has to at some point. And for God's sake, Emma. _Don't_ do anything rash. Even if you kill her it won't bring your old companions back."

"I know, I know," Emma breathed, "Alright, we'll wait."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Last chapter some reviewers expressed their disappointment about me choosing the amnesia route for Malty and I completely understand why. The amnesia trope is indeed very convenient and eye-roller especially for a redemption story and I myself will admit that I'm not a big fan of it either. However, with that being said, I wouldn't have used this trope if I didn't have good reason to. For this reason, I will attempt to explain.

One of my favorite redemption stories that also served as an inspiration was the original 1987 version of the romantic comedy film _Overboard_ starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. In case you're not familiar with the film allow me to give a brief synopsis.

_Overboard_ is story about a spoiled rich heiress named Joanna who is travelling the world with her husband Grant on their ocean going yacht. When they stop at a fishing village in Oregon for engine repairs, an impatient Joanna hires a local carpenter named Dean Profitt to remodel her closet. Dean puts up with her rudeness and produces a quality made closet, but she is unsatisfied with it anyway because of the type of wood he used and refuses to pay. Dean in turn tells her off before she pushes him overboard and sails away. Later that night, Joanna goes out on deck to retrieve her wedding ring and ends up falling into the ocean herself.

She loses consciousness and is rescued, but when she wakes up she discovers she's completely lost her memory. Grant wakes up in time to see her on the local news but of instead of retrieving her he instead decides to take the yacht and goes out partying. Dean also sees her on the news and he comes up with a brilliant plan to get revenge on her by pretending that she is actually his deceased wife and the mother of his four unruly boys. He takes her back to his dumpster of a home and puts her to work through numerous chores, which she manages to do despite several mishaps and even having a bit of a breakdown.

During this time though, Joanna begins to learn many things. Among them is being responsible, what's is like to be mother(since she has no children of her own), how to deal with family issues, and learning how to manage money. After discovering that Dean is secretly working two jobs in order to pay the bills she begins to fall in love both with him and his sons, who also come to love her.

However, when Grant, threatened by Joanna's mother who later joins them on their yacht, finally returns to Oregon to retrieve her, she remembers who she is instantly. She is also deeply hurt by the way Dean had used her and leaves with her husband. But when she returns to the yacht she discovers how much she has changed and has difficulty shifting back into her old lifestyle. She becomes annoyed by Grant's and her mother's childish behavior and then becomes appalled with the way they treat their servants. She later apologies to her butler Andrew for the way she's treated him and thanks him for all he's done for her despite having to put up with her for so long. When she asks him if he thinks that she's crazy like everyone else does because of how different she is, he replies with this:

_"Oh, no, Madam. Oh, no. Most of us go through life with blinders on, Madam, knowing only that one little station to which we were born. But you, Madam, on the other hand, have had the rare privilege of escaping your bonds for just a spell... to see life from an entirely new perspective. How you choose to use that information, Madam, is entirely up to you."_

It is here that Joanna realizes that she was much happier with Dean and his sons than she was here on the yacht and decides to return to them.

The quote from the butler is the very reason why I chose the amnesia route for Malty. When I studied her character I saw that she had a very sheltered life and that she had little to no interaction with her family, which I believed was one of the reasons that caused her to be influenced by the wrong people. This is also the reason why I'm ignoring the fact about Malty carrying a shard of Medea for reasons I've already explained.

If there are two words that Malty doesn't fully understand, or rather took advantage of, it's _Love_ and _Compassion_. She doesn't know what those two words truly mean because she never experienced it. Malty loosing her memory after losing everything in her trial gives not only gives her a second chance, but it also gives her a new perspective on life, to see it at an entirely different angle, to briefly escape the sins of her past. And as you saw through this chapter she is slowly starting to learn what love and compassion truly is, and it's in the form of Daisy. A _demi-human_ child, the very last person neither you, or she, would interact with. We're going to see more of that as the story goes on.

I hope this has given a better understanding with the direction I am taking with this story. Even if you're still disappointed by it, I ask that you be a little patient. I have big plans for this story. I'm even seriously considering turning this into a trilogy. I promise that it will deliver. Until next time, stay tuned!


	4. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT & RAMBLERANT

This is probably surprising to you, but I need to make this announcement and I want to talk about something that's been on my mind for some time regarding both official canon and fanfiction. So forgive me if it feels like I'm just rambling here but I've been wanting to get this off my chest so please bear with me and listen to what I have to say.

First, I'm sad to announce that I am not going to continue this story, at least not for a time. The reason for this is because you readers might have noticed there has been one reviewer who's been very critical of my story so far from the very start. He's also currently writing his own story that is based on the same subject and it's been having great success. Over the weekend I tried to discuss my writing decisions with this person to help give him a better understanding of how I wrote chapter 2 but in the end I just gave up, but frankly speaking I am just _tired_ of having to defend my decisions all the time and I'm tired of having to go out of my way to explain _every single **god damn thing**_, especially when it's something that in all honesty shouldn't be hard to figure out and yet for some reason it is. It's tiresome, it's frustrating, and it kills your confidence, your motivation, and even your enjoyment as a writer. You feel like you're just wasting your time and you start to wonder if you had been better off doing something else. And that's not how it should be.

Since my story centered around Malty I was well aware from the start that I was going to be tackling a very controversial subject. The criticisms this reviewer had centers on not liking the direction I was taking the story, the fact that I was using the amnesia trope(a trope that I was well aware of but still wanted to use), and that I turned Malty into, in his own words, a _Disney Princess_. That was not my intention and it wasn't what I had in mind when I started writing this story. What I was simply wanted to do was to portray Malty in a way no one would ever even imagine when given her character's history and I sincerely believed that the amnesia idea was the best way to do this, especially for the emotional impact I had planned later on. Yes, I agree that seeing Malty suddenly being nice and befriending a demi-human child is very odd and even shocking but _that was the entire point_! But then the reviewer went to say that to that I should have done this and that instead to make it less cliched and that it would be more in line to Malty's character according to canon.

Alright, I want to make this clear. I am not trying to point fingers here and start arguments. After seeing the poor reception chapter two got, I decided to end it right there because I felt like it just wasn't worth the effort. I know that sounds a bit extreme but when you have a reviewer who's following your story closely and is posting reviews that presents a more negative image, people are going take that reviewer's word for it instead of giving a fair chance. To put it simply, it scares off potential readers because we tend to look at the reviews first before reading the story to see if it's worth reading. While there isn't anything wrong with that, it has a bad habit of being double-edged sword.

When you got a reviewer who's going into greater detail with his criticisms, goes even further how the author should writer the story, it's becomes extremely harmful. Not just to the author, but also to both the reviewer and the readers. It destroys the author's confidence, it makes the reviewer look like jerk, and it discourages anyone else from reading the story and giving it a chance to truly take off. When I told all this to the reviewer he realized that he had gone too far in his criticism and apologized, but the damage had already been done. I'm just not confident anymore in my writing abilities. If this is what I have to constantly deal with, than I would rather do something else. What I really want to talk about right now is the fine line between official and fanfiction, going back to the last sentence the reviewer said.

Fanfiction is simply what it it, it's NON-canon material based on an official work. Each story is an author's alternate take on a certain established story, character, lore, etc. Simply put, it's their own version of the established canon. That is the entire purpose of fanfiction, and as the website says, you are to _Unleash Your Imagination_.

So what is the problem?

The problem I have is when fans of the same work that you're writing a fanfic for criticize you for not following what the said canon has established and they to try correct you by making you rewrite your story.

_This is wrong_.

When you say something like that, you've taken away the entire purpose of a fanfic. You are not allowing the author to _unleash their imagination_. You are limiting it for the sake of having it stay in line with the established lore. If this was an official story, or a side story based on the same universe, then I wouldn't argue with this, but when comes to fanfiction itself the line is drawn here. Whatever was established in the canon, it stops right here. From here on out the author should be free to make whatever story they want to write based on that official work.

Now, I am not saying you should completely ignore what the canon has established. What I'm saying is that the official canon should be used as a _guideline_ for your fanfic. It shouldn't be treated like it's absolute law. Fanfics are an author's alternate vision of the official story or franchise. They are not official stories and they shouldn't be seen as such. They are not suppose to be taken seriously and shouldn't be treated as such. I am not going to argue that there are too many garbage fanfics out there, but that's irrelevant because that's just what the fanfiction is. No story is exactly alike. There are good stories and there are bad ones, and that goes for fanfics as well. Fans of the said canon should not act like a police force when it comes to fanfics. It's like what George Lucas once said a few years ago.

"_You go to make a movie and all you do is get criticized and people try to make decisions about what you're going to do before you do it. You know, it's not much fun, and you can't experiment. You can't do anything. You have to do it in a certain way. I don't like that, I never did. I started out with experimental films and I want to go back to experimental films. But of course, nobody wants to see experimental films."_

\- George Lucas on Why He's Done Directing Star Wars Movies, _Vanity Fair_'s YouTube channel

Well, that's essentially what I was trying to do here with this fanfic centered on Malty and this is exactly the response I end up getting. When I sat down to write this fanfic, I didn't want to just _remind_ everyone that Malty is a bad person followed by her doing a bunch of bad things. We've seen enough of that already throughout the anime, the original source material, and even through other fanfics. I wanted to do something different, something unexpected. I wanted to _experiment_. But like George Lucas said, nobody wants experimental stories and it becomes impossible unleash your imagination when you have someone telling you, "You can't do this, you can't do that, you have to do it this way," almost as though _they_ are original creator themselves when they're not. It isn't just wrong, it's outright insulting and disrespectful to the _real_ original creator.

What makes it even worse, ever since the internet has become such a major part of our lives, we have people who want to get involved with everything, especially in the entertainment industry, and they set their expectations to insanely high levels. To give an example, I watch a lot of anime and I have an account on the MyAnimeList website. When I watch an anime that had been well received so far and they had a good episode, I go on MAL to the discussion boards expecting to see what others think and to talk about what happen in that episode.

You know what I see instead? Over half the comments complaining about _animation quality_.

I can't tell you how much this pisses me off every time I see a comment like this and it makes want to punch every single person who brings it up and scream in their face, "_WHAT ABOUT THE STORY AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT_?!" Not every anime studio is KyoAni or Ufotable. Get use to that fact!

But even when they do talk about story and character development you get all these so called professional critics and creative writing experts who on and on and on from the very start about "_Cliched this, cliched that, trope this, trope that. Oh, this is so boring. It's so predictable. Why do people like this garbage? Didn't I tell you it was trash?! Why does no one listen to me?! Ha ha! Told you so! You didn't listen because your an idiot!_" And it gets to the point where you just want to stand up and scream, "_SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY AND LET ME WATCH THIS SHOW!_"

It's gets extremely annoying and it takes away both the fun and the enjoyment. You can't enjoy what you're watching even with your friends and family because there's always this one person bitching about every single thing they don't like. It's just isn't fun! And then you shut yourself out from the rest of the world, wanting to be alone, because you can't enjoy _anything_ without having to constantly deal with this shit!

I know I'm sounding very toxic right now but the point I'm trying to get at is: _Where is the enjoyment value in today's world of entertainment?_

None of us were alive back then but remember when movies used to be an experience? Ask your grandparents about what going to the movies was like when they were your age. I guarantee you that it's dramatically different from the way it is now. Back then, people actually got dressed up to go see a movie, especially an highly anticipated one. Movies were often shown on special screens like CinemaScope, characters were played by actors who were also people and not showoffs, and the music score actually had an overture that played before the start of the movie. Now look at it today. It's now just become another way to pass the time.

In today's world where the internet rules supreme, we have audiences who have short attention time spans, want instant gratification, and they want everything to be perfect according to their standards. And if they don't get it, they complain and make a big deal out of it.

I am so sick and tired of this mindset. Is it simply too much to ask to simply sit back, relax, and enjoy an anime or film without focusing so much on what flaws it might have or how many cliches or tropes it has from the very start? When I sit down to watch an anime, I want to watch it for what's it's worth and at very least try to enjoy it. I don't care about what kind of cliches and tropes it has or how many there are. Cliches and tropes are always going to exist no matter what age we live in. They are a part of storytelling no matter how much you wish they weren't. People should take story for what is, not complain about what it doesn't have. People all have different taste when it comes to entertainment. Get used to the fact that not everyone thinks the way you do.

It's because of this mindset that we've forgotten what the simple goal of entertainment is suppose to do, and that is _to entertain_. It doesn't matter if the product is good, bad, or mediocre. As long as it entertains the viewer, left some kind of impact, than it has accomplished its goal.

I'll be honest with you. One of favorite animes that has come out in recent years happens to be _The Asterisk War_, an anime that nobody else like but I actually did. Why? Because despite all its problems I still enjoyed it for what it was worth. I liked the concept it had and the world it was set in. Did it have all the usual tropes? Yes, but I didn't care. Are the characters your standard anime types? Yes, but I still like them because they were still fun watch. Could the story have been much better written? Absolutely! The point is, those are flaws I can live with. The more important part is that I enjoyed it. That is what really matters.

If I sat down and did nothing but pick out every flaw, cliche, and trope there is, then what's the point of me even watching it? If I expect every single anime I watch to be a masterpiece, then I'm going to be disappointed more times than not. I'm not saying you can't have criticisms, but rather that you shouldn't let that be your sole purpose when watching something. And that is what is bugs me so much. We have become too focused on cliches, tropes, originality, etc, instead of just enjoying ourselves.

Now, despite everything I've said so far, I do understand why people have gotten so sensitive about official canon and its lore especially in recent years. When I first wrote my _Sailor Moon_ fanfics several years ago I took a few considerable risks by setting it in Washington DC instead of Toyko, using the characters names and terminology from the original DIC English dub, and Americanizing everything. But I also added in some new ideas, like giving the Sailor Scouts their own unique weapons, the ability to use each other powers instead of just their own, and giving a lot more depth and history to both the characters and the lore. And for the most part it was very well received. People really liked what I had brought to the table. It gave _Sailor Moon_ a fresh new look and uniqueness. Of course I eventually ran out of steam, but I was pretty impressed that I had made it that far. I was really satisfied with what I had accomplished.

However, I was posting those stories before _Sailor Moon Crystal_ came out and at a time when Hollywood, video game companies, and other people weren't ruining all our beloved franchises by rewriting them to fit in with social issues, to push some kind of political agenda, or to appeal to a certain kind of audience while alienating the rest. You can list them off: _Star Trek, Final Fantasy, Ghostbusters,_ EA and Konami, fellow author J.K. Rowling,_ Terminator,_ superhero films in general, and of course the biggest of them all, _Star Wars_. Hell, you can even throw in Disney as a whole with all their unnecessary live-action remakes of their animated classics. Fans of all of these franchises are extremely upset because of this and for good reason. It's like what Spoony once said in the beginning of his _Final Fantasy X-2_ review.

"_If you look at it from a fan's standpoint this just isn't a Final Fantasy game because they changed too much. Again, I like change, I like innovation, but when you change too much it becomes less recognizable as a game in the series and people get mad. When you go overboard trying to reinvent Final Fantasy it stops being innovation and becomes... well... BETRAYAL! BE-TRAY-AL! Uh, huh. You see? Are we beginning to understand each other just a little bit by now?"_

And that's exactly what's been going on these past few years. It's no exaggeration when people say that these terrible movies that we've been getting are described as "_badly written fanfiction_" because it's true. And it's because of this it's given fanfiction itself a bad name. Although, at the same time, we also get fanfics that are _miles_ better than the official stories! LOL!

But what I'm trying to get at here is that I understand why so many people have become so overprotective about the stories they love. I, like any other fan, want to see them preserved. The problem is that the anger is being directed towards the wrong people and at the wrong place, in this case fanfiction and fanfic writers. Fanfic writers are not responsible for what's goes on the official side of things. In addition people shouldn't be directing their anger at them and treating them like they're trash. That's no different from cyber bullying.

As for _Shield Hero_ it's already a good story and it has very interesting lore. Part of what I wanted to do, what I had planned to do, was to expand that lore by introducing new things while also giving Malty a new character arc. Not once had I intended to do harm to either. I'm simply doing what this websites advises you to do. Please understand that.

When it comes to fanfics there are three things you need to remember, especially when doing a review. First, don't tell the author how they should write for the sake of the established canon, especially when it's only getting started. You need to remember that the original work doesn't belong to you and that you have no say in the matter. It's rude, disrespectful, and it goes against the entire purpose of a fanfic. Second, encourage the writer to continue with the fanfic, even if you have problems with it early on because you never know what might come next. Any criticisms you feel need to be expressed keep them short and simple. If you find it necessary to go into greater detail it might be a better idea to send a PM instead since you can't edit or delete reviews on Fanfiction in case you make a mistake. And third, always keep in mind that this is _fanfiction_, NON-canon material. It needs to be respected and enforced as such. If you don't like a certain story than don't read it. It's not an official work anyway.

That's all I want to say. I know it was quite long, but it was necessary. Please understand that I'm not trying to patronize anyone. I just feel that people need to get their priorities straight when it comes to official canon and fanfiction.

As for this fanfic, I really don't know if I'm going to continue it or not. I really just don't the heart to go on. And it sucks because this is the first serious fanfic I have written in a long time and the one that I really wanted to write. I really had big plans for this story. I had even intended to turn it into a trilogy. But again, if this is what I'm going to have to go through every time I submit a chapter then forget it. It's not worth the effort. I am tired of arguing all the time and I'm tired of fighting against everyone. Maybe I posted this story at the wrong time. Maybe I should have waited until Malty finally dies in the anime. I don't know, I just don't care anymore. I know it's easy to say, "Just ignore the bad reviews!" but it doesn't make it go away. Once you see the words of a review they are forever etched in your mind.

So that's how things stand right now. I apologize to anyone who might have been expecting a new chapter and got this instead, but I felt that expressing my personal feelings on this subject was more important. I am grateful for the support you gave even though it wasn't much. I just wanted to write the story I wanted to tell but I guess in these days, that isn't enough. If I do come back to this story hopefully it will be at time when everyone has stopped taking everything so seriously all time.

Thanks again and I wish my fellow fanfic writers all the best.

Sincerely, StarCatTibalt


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